Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Grandpa Jim on October 16, 2013, 10:53:31 pm

Title: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: Grandpa Jim on October 16, 2013, 10:53:31 pm
At our local meeting last night we had a honey tasting table.  Members brought samples of their honeys from this year.  We had more than a dozen different samples and no two were exactly the same.  In wine and beer tasting (years ago I was on a chocolate taste panel) there are flavors and descriptive words to use....earthy, floral, bitter, burnt, etc.  But what about honey?  Floral covers a lot of flavors in chocolate, but in honey it is all floral....but many different floral tastes.

Goldenrod honey was very buttery, almost like butterscotch flavor.  But something like locust or even a wild flower honey, there are a lot of flavors going on and just did not have the words to describe them.    Just saying "that is good honey!" is not very descriptive, at least not after the 6th one.

Jim
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: 10framer on October 16, 2013, 11:24:58 pm
sumac has a nutty/buttery flavor.
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: Joe D on October 16, 2013, 11:43:51 pm
It is like wine in several ways, the flavor you have this year you may not again for years, what one person likes another won't.  Since I have had bees, most all honey I have tried was good, except for that in fast food places or altered or messed with honey.  The flavors could probably be better described by someone else.  Years ago a friend moved his bees around to different areas under 100 miles.  He had lots of different colors and flavors.  Good luck to you and your bee Jim.




Joe



Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: rober on October 17, 2013, 12:26:29 pm
a local beekeeper had some honey that did not taste good at all. there were 4 of us present & we all agreed. he was trying to figure out what the bees were working so he could eliminate that plant. I tasted some honey that I preferred over others but this was the 1st time I tasted  one that I considered it to be unpalatable.
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: millipede on October 17, 2013, 12:44:49 pm
I know what you mean. My bees pull in a light blackberry/persimmon in the spring. It tastes, well, like spring. That is the best description I can come up with lol.
Just bright sweet and floral.
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: RHBee on October 17, 2013, 05:28:56 pm
 :-D Good  :-D
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: Soapmaker on October 23, 2013, 04:04:18 pm
Just stole a chunk of honeycomb to taste (first time ever) and mesquite honey is dark and almost smokey. Absolutely delicous!
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: GSF on October 23, 2013, 08:59:30 pm
I done a hive inspection yesterday and scraped some bur comb off the top of the frames. Some of it had honey so afterwards I took a couple of bites. The first two bites was good! The second bite definitely tasted different with a wang to it. Later on I put the bur comb where the bees could get to it and discovered some capped brood.

What does capped brood taste like? wang?  :shock:
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: Grandpa Jim on October 24, 2013, 05:10:54 pm
I can see the sophisticated honey tasters sitting around an elegantly set table and saying "I must say this honey has a bit of a "wang" to it"    :-P :-D  Good one ....I like it!.....not the taste, but the word :-D
Title: Re: Words to describe the flavors in honeys
Post by: GSF on October 24, 2013, 09:40:52 pm
It's an old term I've heard all my life. I don't know if it's just a southern thing or not. When ever you ate something that didn't just taste right you'd always say "That has a wang to it".